Quake Dries Up Iconic Canadian Hot Springs

Map shows the location of Gwaii Haanas National Park in British Columbia.

The recent West Coast earthquake appears to have shut off the water at the popular hot springs in Gwaii Haanas National Park located on an island off the coast of British Columbia, but there is hope they could reappear someday, CBC News reported.

After Saturday’s (Oct. 27) 7.7 magnitude earthquake, Parks Canada workers went to check the springs and found they had run dry, according to Barb Rowsell, who owns Anvil Cove Charters.

“Three people went down to check it out, and sure enough there is no hot water and the rocks are dry and cold,” said Rowsell, who has been ferrying visitors to Hotspring Island for years.

The popular natural attraction in Gwaii Haanas National Park has been a major tourist draw for decades.

The park’s superintendent Ernie Gladstone said the springs were still steaming last week, but now, to his dismay, there is not even a puddle left.

“We did have staff on site on Thursday before Saturday’s events, and now less than a week later the water’s not flowing so we have to assume it’s a result of Saturday’s earthquakes or one of the many aftershocks since then,” said Gladstone.